First impressions…
I LOVE IT! All right, I partly love it because it’s NEW but I mostly love it because it’s a definite upgrade from my iPhone 6 Plus. My 6 Plus was great and definitely saw me through some awesome times (all my pictures with Tyler Rich were taken with that phone!) but it was going to be time for a new device. Back in our younger days, we used to change phones at least once a year but these days we’ve slowed down on the upgrades and having iPhones makes it less noticeable. As much as I enjoyed Android in the past, oftentimes the hardware couldn’t take the eventual updates. Or worse, the phone never got the updates! Not so with iPhones. When there is an update, all the phones get the update. (Well, within a certain age of the phone.)

The Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus is PRETTY. It’s smooth and shiny and definitely needs a case for a clumsy lady like me! I usually want to rock my phones without cases but I don’t and with this one, I was really nervous not having a case. I ordered an inexpensive one from Amazon and had it before my first work day with my new phone. My previous iPhone was champagne gold, which mean white borders. With the Jet Black version, the phone has a black face if the screen is off. It’s so sleek!

Camera
It’s crazy to think that my most important camera comes with my phone. I used to love looking at digital cameras and buying them but now my main camera is the one on my phone. The iPhone 7 Plus has an excellent camera. The portrait mode creates really sweet shots. I need to use it more!

I love the camera and will definitely use it a lot (hence the high storage capacity of my phone). I’m going to try and be better about what photos I keep on my phone. I think the 50 GB I had on my other phone was a bit ridiculous. But we shall see!

Battery
I must admit I am decidedly paranoid about the battery life of my phone. I always feel as though I need to be at 100% or close to it when I leave work so I am used to charging my phone after lunch. I’m trying to now break the habit because it’s just silly, right? This whole week I have not charged my phone during work and my battery has been pretty awesome. Of course, I’ve changed some of my previous habits and I am carrying a second phone (an Android phone we have) for my game playing and music streaming. My next challenge will be to not use the second phone at work and just use my iPhone as I did my previous one. But maybe still minus the streaming. We’ll see.

Call Quality
Wait, do people still use cell phones to actually talk with other people? LOL Call quality is good on the phone. The very few calls I’ve had have been clear and consistent. I’m on T-Mobile’s network and it’s been strong for me in my area. It’s still a little awkward holding such a big phone to my face but after rocking the same size phone for two years, I’ve gotten mostly used to it.

Conclusion
Knowing this will be my phone for at least a couple of years, I am comforted by the fact that it’s top of the line (if only until the next Apple Event). The phone is easy on the eyes, solid in the hand, and smooth in execution. Apps that had started to slow are once again snappy. If you’re in the market for a new phone and you like iOS, this is definitely the phone to consider…